Minnesota · Fishing license · Free days
Free fishing days in Minnesota
DNR sets them by a recurring rule rather than a fixed date.
Minnesota has no general free fishing day. Each of these waives the license for one particular person only: an adult who brings a child under 16, or a resident mother on the Mother's Day weekend. Nothing else changes: limits, sizes, seasons and closed waters all still apply.
The rule, not a date
Take a Kid Fishing Weekend: a resident aged 16 or over may angle without a license during one three-day period of the open-water season designated by the commissioner, if accompanied by a child under 16 (Minn. Stat. 97A.445, subd. 1).
We found no page where DNR states this year's dates outright, so the rule stands here instead of a date we worked out ourselves. A calculated date that turns out wrong costs someone a fine.
The rule, not a date
Take a Kid Ice Fishing Weekend: the same rule for one three-day period of the ice angling season, again designated by the commissioner (Minn. Stat. 97A.445, subd. 1).
We found no page where DNR states this year's dates outright, so the rule stands here instead of a date we worked out ourselves. A calculated date that turns out wrong costs someone a fine.
The rule, not a date
Take a Mom Fishing Weekend: "Any mother who is a resident of Minnesota may take fish by angling without a license during the Saturday and Sunday of the angling season that coincides with Mother’s Day" (Minn. Stat. 97A.445, subd. 5).
We found no page where DNR states this year's dates outright, so the rule stands here instead of a date we worked out ourselves. A calculated date that turns out wrong costs someone a fine.
What a free day does not cover
- Bag limits, size limits and closed seasons are unchanged.
- Waters that are closed stay closed.
- Separate permits can still be required — Minnesota charges for trout-and-salmon stamp validation, walleye stamp validation. Check before you rely on a free day.
- A free day waives the license, not the rules the license comes with.
